Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cotonou

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotonou: $897 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Cotonou
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Cotonou Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Cotonou

🇧🇯 Benin

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Cotonou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Cotonou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $897 in Cotonou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Cotonou $897

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,428 in Cotonou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Cotonou $1,428

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,958 in Cotonou, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Cotonou $1,958

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Cotonou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Cotonou are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cotonou 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.18 F CFA 3,042

-56.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$35.68 F CFA 21.0K

-46.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.39 F CFA 5,512

-40.89%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$5.25 F CFA 3,085

-68.19%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.00 F CFA 588

-36.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.89 F CFA 521

-65.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$0.87 F CFA 509

171.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.59 F CFA 1,521

41.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$3.10 F CFA 1,819

-37.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.23 F CFA 723

17.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.88 F CFA 1,105

-29.26%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.74 F CFA 1,610

-16.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.25 F CFA 5,435

77.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.43 F CFA 3,188

-48.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.04 F CFA 2,959

84.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.99 F CFA 2,345

-41.10%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.78 F CFA 1,043

-45.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.33 F CFA 779

20.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.71 F CFA 1,591

-44.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.27 F CFA 744

0.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.68 F CFA 987

-34.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.43 F CFA 253

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.14 F CFA 670

-57.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.37 F CFA 1,977

22.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.30 F CFA 2,523

307.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.17 F CFA 688

37.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.86 F CFA 1,092

49.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.30 F CFA 764

-33.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.38 F CFA 808

-15.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.32 F CFA 776

-59.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.18 F CFA 694

22.88%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$21.1K ฿710.5K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$23.5K F CFA 13.8M

14.60%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$62.2 ฿2,098

$145 F CFA 85.1K

-57.08%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.17 ฿411

$33.52 F CFA 19.7K

-63.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$49.06 F CFA 28.8K

-58.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$47.60 F CFA 28.0K

-21.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$3.36 F CFA 1,973

12.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.58 F CFA 5,042

-24.36%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$736 ฿24.8K

$131 F CFA 76.9K

462.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$5,544 F CFA 3.3M

166.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$25.39 F CFA 14.9K

110.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$33.44 F CFA 19.6K

173.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$67.9 F CFA 39.9K

5.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$176 F CFA 103.3K

174.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$163 F CFA 95.6K

89.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$600 F CFA 352.4K

67.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$412 F CFA 242.3K

53.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$251 F CFA 147.1K

135.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.25%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cotonou: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Cotonou

$163 18.2% 47.3% $146

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Cotonou

$222 24.8% 5.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Cotonou

$57 * 6.4% 47.5% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cotonou

$227 25.4% 141% $133

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Cotonou

$150 16.7% 92.9% $72

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Cotonou

$13 * 1.5% 78.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cotonou

$65 7.2% 28.8% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $176 in Cotonou. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $36 in Cotonou. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $222 in Cotonou – so Cotonou wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇯 Cotonou

🕒 Local time

11:51 11:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

780,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Cotonou 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cotonou

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Chiang Mai vs Cotonou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Cotonou, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,345 in Cotonou. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cotonou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $176 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $36 in Cotonou. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Cotonou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Cotonou. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.